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Andaria
| capital = Imperial City | notable cities = | region = | languages = | races = | ethnic groups = | demonym = Andarian | religion = Mardük | population = | allegiance = Clergy of Mardük | enemies = | factions = | government = Tetrarchy | head of state = Empress, Emperor | leader1 = | head of government = | leader2 = | executive = High Legions | legislature = Imperial Senate | judiciary = | formation = | ageoftga = Fourth Age | established = | p1 = Magicracy of Alent | flag_p1 = Flag-magicalent.png | p2 = Eastern Horde | flag_p2 = Flag-easternhorde.png | p3 = Northern Horde | flag_p3 = Flag-northernhorde.png | p4 = Southern Horde | flag_p4 = Flag-southernhorde.png | p5 = Western Horde | flag_p5 = Flag-westernhorde.png }} Andaria, formally the Andarian Empire, is a nation in the Fourth Age, founded by the four united demon hordes after the fall of the Magicracy of Alent in the Second Great War. Led by the Tetrarchy, or four archdemons who command the High Legions, the Empire is expansionistic and uses whatever means necessary to gain more territories so that it can one day rule over much if not all of the known world. History Origins In late Third Age, demons arrived into the Land of the Living from the Demon Realm at the behest of Mardük, the God of Chaos. After Mardük's demise in the Cataclysm, the demons' forces were divided into four hordes known as the Eastern Horde, Northern Horde, Southern Horde and Western Horde, each led by an archdemon. The hordes warred against one another as well as against the other races of the Land of the Living, ultimately culminating in the Battle of Alent at the end of the Second Great War. The battle--and the war--came to an abrupt and catastrophic end which left not only the hordes' enemies but the four hordes themselves severely weakened. Demons' power diminished as a result and, realizing that they would have to fight harder to survive, the confused and worried hordes signed an indefinite ceasefire, known as the Treaty of Andaria. From that point on, the hordes turned into the High Legions and the four archdemons ruled side by side as the Tetrarchy in what became known as the Andarian Empire, named after the sisters Vaetris L'andariel and Nina Heeate L'andariel who had originally proposed the treaty. Interim Years As the Fourth Age dawned, the Andarian Empire was officially formed and recognized, and demons along with those from other races who had served alongside them began building their empire, starting from what became known as the Empire's grand capital, the Imperial City, built by hand and magic. The Empire's strength grew over the years thanks to their initially superior numbers, but they chose to build and rebuild instead of outright invading other lands as they needed time to stabilize their economy and the structure of their new empire. The prosperity the Legions brought with them as well as their libertarian laws attracted people to their land in search of fortune. Although past animosities remained in the minds of some from the older generation, the new generation was less prejudiced and welcomed the opportunity to climb the social ladder for fame, power and respect, leading to a mostly peaceful coexistence between demons and other races. Fourth Age With their strength stabilized and their ambitions growing in the decades after the last great war, the Andarian Empire has turned its attention to expanding its already impressive area of influence, hoping to annex nearby towns and cities into it either via diplomacy or via other, more forceful means to unite the land under the Empire's mighty banner. Organization Government Imperial Houses Tetrarchy The Empire is jointly ruled by the Tetrarchy, four archdemons who each are the supreme commanders of their given High Legion. The leaders are styled Empress or Emperor, or prefixed with the name of their given legion to distinguish them from other rulers such as using the Emerald Empress to refer to the supreme commander of the Emerald Legion. Members of the Tetrarchy include: *Vaetris L'andariel - the Emerald Empress, supreme commander of the Emerald Legion *Nina Heeate L'andariel - the Topaz Empress, supreme commander of the Topaz Legion *Malphas d'Xuvadon - the Ruby Emperor, supreme commander of the Ruby Legion *Pazuzu - the Sapphire Emperor, supreme commander of the Sapphire Legion Heirs to the Throne The Imperial Houses consist of their respective Empress and Emperor but also their offspring who are styled Crown Princess or Crown Prince. In cases where a child is born from the union of an Emperor and an Empress of different High Legions, the child may decide which of the parents' legions to join. As is the case with the Tetrarchy, the Crown Princesses and Princes also tend to have a prefix of their chosen legion in their titles to help identify their allegiance. Legally acknowledged Crown Princess and Princes include: *Lilim L'andariel - the Emerald Princess, daughter of Emerald Empress Vaetris, member of the Emerald Legion *Naamah - the Sapphire Princess, daughter of Sapphire Emperor Pazuzu, member of the Sapphire Legion *Xaphan L'andariel - the Ruby Prince, son of Ruby Emperor Malphas and Topaz Empress Nina, member of the Ruby Legion Nobility Below the Imperial Families are the Demonic Noble Houses, some more influential than others as signified by their noble titles ranging from duchess to baroness. Unlike noble houses of other races, demon nobles weren't initially hereditary but came into being when certain demons assumed leadership over others during past wars. As a result of this many minor nobles such as barons are presently lesser demons who earned a lesser noble title by assisting the Tetrarchy in their rise to power at the end of the Third Age. Although most nobles are demons due to them being the dominating race in the Empire, a few notable non-demon exceptions exist such as Baron Nobuo Iwasaki, Strategos of the Ruby Legion, whose actions in the Second Great War prompted the Ruby Emperor to grant him peerage as recognition for his accomplishments. Imperial Senate The Imperial Senate acts as the legislative branch of the Empire, voting on laws and various communal projects among other things. Although the Imperial Houses have veto right to overrule the Senate's decisions if needed, this has rarely come to pass because for the most part the Senate and the Tetrarchy's goals align. The senate is divided in three: the Imperial Seat, the Seat of Lords, and the Seat of Commons. Imperial Seat The Imperial Seat is a mostly symbolic seat reserved for members from the Imperial Families of the Tetrarchy should any of them wish to attend a Senate session either as observers or to give their opinion on the topics being discussed. Members of the Imperial Families have the right to veto the Senate's decisions although this right is rarely used. Seat of Lords Noble houses have a hereditary seat in the Senate to represent their respective houses, known as the Seat of Lords. They have the right, due to their members' higher rank, to delay decisions made by the Seat of Commons but not overrule them. Each house can only have one seat, i.e. one representative, to prevent bigger houses from having more sway over smaller houses. Seat of Commons Members from the Seat of Commons come from various lower classes, elected by their peers, representing different districts of the Imperial City as well as colonies of the Imperial Provinces. Unlike the Imperial Seat or the Seat of Lords which are hereditary, Senators of Commons are elected every four years, which means that there is potential for any given senator from the Seat of Commons to fall out or retain the seat depending on the votes. This election process has led to fighting over the seats which can often be vicious; usually the most notable, or richest, people in the Empire are elected due to them simply having more money to buy votes or sway to send hired thugs to scare people into voting for them. Military High Legions The military of the Empire consists of the four High Legions known as the Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Topaz Legions. Although each legion can operate independently if needed, they often have a specific area of expertise specific to each legion that makes them a cohesive army should members from different legions need to work together on the field. Although many of the higher-ranking officers are demon nobles, it's possible for non-demon commoners to become officers if they prove their strength, cunning and dedication to the Legions. Emerald Legion The Emerald Legion consists of ambassadors, spies, counterintelligence operatives and assassins who aim to not only sign treaties with neighboring kingdoms to slowly expand the Empire's area of influence via diplomacy but also to keep an eye out on enemy spies and potential rebel cells within the Empire. They also interrogate or otherwise coerce and blackmail individuals deemed as potential threats to further the Empire's interests and weaken rival factions for the Empire's eventual invasion should such become necessary. Using assassinations and planting 'honey traps' (i.e. sending operatives to seduce an enemy and have them reveal key intel) are often used tactics of the legion. If any spy is caught, they're trained not to talk even under extreme duress. On the chance that they do crack in the end and the Empire is blamed for sending them, the Empire will simply deny any connection to said agents and claim they're rebels or insurgents trying to soil the reputation of Andaria with their actions. The Emerald Legion has also been given the authority by an edict from the Emerald Empress to supervise brothels and act on any misconduct within them if needed. This authority regarding brothel matters overrules the other legions in cases of conflict. Ruby Legion The Ruby Legion is the bulk of the Legion's forces, its members often being the first sent to the battlefield to face the enemy in combat. They are ferocious warriors and mages who also patrol the streets of imperial cities to keep them safe for citizens. The legion also has the engineer, armorer and artificer corps which design siege engines and improve current designs of legion armors and weapons to make them more durable and less clunky to wield. Sapphire Legion The Sapphire Legion is more or less the Imperial Navy, its members being expert sailors and shipbuilders who specialize in aquatic warfare. Some legionaries also work closely with tribunes to regulate trade with neighboring kingdoms and keep an eye on fluctuating prices in the market to identify potential black market dealings that might hurt the Empire's economy. Topaz Legion The Topaz Legion, sometimes referred to as the Gold Legion, focuses on training mages and studying various forms of magic. Its members tend to have extensive knowledge of history and often act as strategic and tactical advisors during campaigns to formulate the best plans of attack. Military ranks The High Legions improved upon the strict military hierarchy originally introduced by the Northern Horde and made some changes to it to turn it more effective. Society Family and Relationships Relationships between demons and non-demons are allowed although any halfbreeds from such unions will not be seen as purebloods by demons, which may hurt their chances somewhat when trying to get into pureblood circles. Despite this, being a halfbreed doesn't prevent a citizen from pursuing various interests or attempt to rise through the ranks of societal hierarchy as long as they have the money and means for it; they simply have a harder time doing it than a pureblood would have. Marriages aren't required to live together as a couple; although some do marry, others prefer not to as demons in general don't make much fuss about legalities when it comes to ceremonies. Polyamory is allowed in relationships as are relationships between cousins. It's not uncommon to see partners having other lovers beside their chosen, whether it's done with or without their partner's consent. Affairs between members of the same sex and bisexualism are also approved by the state, and hedonism as a whole isn't frowned upon due to the liberal views of the demon rulers and the right for each individual to express themselves and their sexuality as they see fit. In the case of the naming of children being born to a demon couple, the supported (but not enforced) stance is that the child should receive the mother's family name unless otherwise stated while the father can either keep his name or change it to match the mother's once the pair becomes an official couple. Crime Despite best efforts from the Legions, crime exists in the Empire, particularly the Imperial City. Black market is widespread, and moonshine and drugs are sold discreetly or sometimes less discreetly if the thieves in question have managed to bribe legionaries to look the other way. Underground fight clubs and racketing are also popular, some even gaining the support of some nobles in secret. Culture Education Anyone with enough wealth can attend the Andarian Academy located in the Imperial City, but few are able to take this offer due to lacking funds for it. To combat the division between the poor and the rich, the Clergy of Mardük has taken it upon themselves, with assistance from the Topaz Legion, to have public classes at plazas and marketplaces at given hours so both uneducated children and adults can learn useful things, whether it's reading, writing, history of the world, magic theory, politics and the like. Entertainment Many festivals are celebrated throughout the year, most notably Empire Day which celebrates the date of the Empire's founding and is an official state holiday. Great horse races and gladiatorial competitions are held in the Serpent Stadium, a huge, circular arena where the Imperial Families, nobles and senators can often be seen attending the festivities with commoners. Gladiator matches are a way for criminals to have one last chance to earn a pardon should their battle prowess please the public enough to plead their case to the Emperors and Empresses at the conclusion of a given match. Brothels are officially supported by state so people from any gender and race can enjoy a sensual time with professionals whenever they want. As per an edict from the Emerald Empress, all brothels are supervised by the Emerald Legion to ensure the safety of prostitutes and to prevent any kind of misconduct. Religion The Empire acknowledges the Clergy of Mardük as the state religion although its liberal laws allow other clergies to visit the Empire and preach there as long as they don't cause any trouble. Any clergy affiliated with other gods must pay a heavy tax to the state at regular intervals, however, and this tax goes triple for any clerics associated with Cardia, the rival god to Mardük. Any clerics of Cardia are under constant surveillance from the Legions, sometimes more discreetly than other times, due to demons' aversion to Cardia's teachings. Despite the prominence of the Clergy of Mardük in the Empire, the citizens aren't forced to worship the God of Chaos or attend ceremonies held by the clergy. Despite this, the clergy has gained widespread popularity among citizens of the Empire due to the liberal ideas it promotes in its sermons. Technology Efforts from companies, most notably the prolific Sardonios Consolidated company headed by Adrian Sardonios, have introduced franchising to the Empire such as the popular tavern chain known as Verdant, as well as first attempts at a state-wide, weekly newspaper to help literacy grow among citizens and to keep information flowing although it's not clear how much of the newspaper's content goes through the Legions first before publishing. Sardonios Consolidated has also been working on the Great Express, a long-term project to introduce what is known as the railway to allow movement from one city to another to become faster without having to rely on horses anymore. These and many other projects show that the Empire is looking towards the future, intending to improve the life of its citizens and spread its might to lands still ignorant of its enlightened progress. Notable people See also *Demon *Magicracy of Alent *Treaty of Andaria * Category:Fourth Age Category:Fourth Age nations